


Train Station

by yuutsuhime



Series: 東港 | Higashi-Minato [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Exchange Student, Gen, High School, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2021-01-13 10:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21242444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuutsuhime/pseuds/yuutsuhime
Summary: Two high-school girls wait for the train in the morning.





	Train Station

Everything in Higashiko starts at the fish market, when Chef Takeshi and the other fishermen shake dew off their boat tarps and shake sleep off of themselves and set sail. The smell of fish usually clears overnight since all the stray dogs and cats eat up all the scraps, when everyone's locked up and gone home back up the mountain.

I usually saw Chef when I was waiting for the train to start moving. We were at the end of the line and they parked the engines in a shed at the end of the tracks, so I usually saw the conductor too, although we barely spoke since he was _busy driving, Jaya_ and didn't want to get yelled at for hitting another deer. Apparently his boss down in the city was a hardass, but he only complained when he was drunk.

"Everyone sort of knows each other," I told Priya. "Like in a weird way. People I've never actually talked to in years will just be like _look how tall you are_, and then try to pat me on the head. I don't know if they'll do that to you, though. Your host family is like the only one that takes tourists well and that's because they moved here from Kyoto."

Someone sounded a boat's horn from the harbor and a few seagulls blasted off the rocks into the breeze. It was early, so the mist was still clinging up on the mountain — which was probably what attracted tourists besides the hot springs. Since the dam construction finally stopped the place has actually looked photogenic, but the mist was a pain to walk through and I'd stubbed my toe on the curb too much to appreciate the nature of it anymore.

"Wanna stop at the market on the way back?" I asked Priya.

"Sure, if you pay. I need to do my English reading though."

"You have all that foreign exchange allowance stuff though," I said.

"I'm gonna spend it in Kyoto. The other exchange students are meeting up there on the weekend sometime so we can go see all the temples and stuff."

"Sounds like fun," I said, waving to one of the farmers who was making his way out into his rice paddy with a bucket of compost and a spade. "That guy there's actually the temple guy for — well I don't know how it works but he does whatever ceremonies happen on occasion. There's a real small temple up the mountain past all the houses where they hold festivals."

"Huh," said Priya. "What's this word?"

"I don't know, just Google it or something," I said.

"You totally know, Jaya, come on."

We heard bells ringing in the distance as the train crossed an intersection, and the rusted old engine ground to a halt. It probably hadn't been cleaned since the seventies and people's hand gunk had built up on every surface and seat. It would have been disgusting if it weren't so normal, as much as how giant bugs got sucked in through the open windows every time we went through a tunnel. Priya used to freak out but now we just tried to get them to fight each other like Pokemon.

"Look at how big that one's legs are," I said, pointing at the super-mosquito clinging to the station's rusty old sign. "What even is that?"

"I don't know, it's not helping me read faster."

The train rolled to a stop in front of us. Nobody was on board except the previous conductor, who waved to his replacement and then made his way, businesslike, down to the fish market for breakfast.

"Watch your step," said the new conductor. Our station was open-air, degrading from years of rain and disuse, so full of grass and moss and it would be easy to slip down if you hadn't memorized every detail from waiting for the train each day.

The conductor blew his whistle and we shuddered off down the tracks, down the few rows of houses, and soon enough all that was left was the highway on one side and the open ocean on the other; nothing but the sound of train tracks and waves and Priya complaining about her English professor.


End file.
